Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for the Hard to Buy For Mom (Updated and Expanded!)

I’m not a good gift giver. It stresses me out. Thankfully, I have a husband who has a gift (pun intended) for coming up with great ideas. And every once in a while, I come up with an idea that knocks it out of the park.

If you’re struggling to come up with a Mother’s Day gift for that special mom (or moms) in your life, look no further. All of the following ideas have been either given or received by me and all have been met with rave reviews.

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Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for the Hard to Buy For Mom (Updated and Expanded!)

I’ll begin with my favorite. I have one of these and I’ve given one to almost every woman in my family. The consensus is always the same: Love!

Photo Credit: Lisie’s Pieces

The great thing about these family trees is that they’re fully customizable. You can add your immediate family or extended family, you can choose the word or name that gets written in the roots, you choose the colors, and you can even choose between the birds pictured here or owls.

Photo Credit: Lisie’s Pieces

If these aren’t your thing, Lisie’s Pieces has a lot of other amazing options, including jewelry and the cutest vinyl decals you’ve ever seen. Lisa is one of the sweetest women I know and a total joy to work with.

I have two of these and I LOVE them. A friend of mine makes them and they are just gorgeous. She has several pre-made hoops with a lot of great sayings on them, but if you want to go the personal route, she’ll do that too. Make sure to order early so that you get it in time!

Photo Credit: The Cotton Thread

3. Family Celebrations Board

If you have a large family (or even if you don’t), Family Celebration Boards are a cute way to keep track of all the important dates. Each birthday and anniversary (and whatever else you want to put on there!) is written on a little wooden disk for easy reference. I bought the supplies and made my own (I recommend Scraps of Love By Jen for the vinyl), but there are several sellers on Etsy who will make them for you if you don’t want to do it yourself. (I’m not linking to any particular one because I’ve never worked with any of them, so I can’t personally recommend them.)

4. Family Portrait

Every mom loves pictures of her family. A gift certificate for a portrait session with a local photographer is sure to be a hit. Just make sure to actually follow through and schedule that session!

Grab a blank journal, purchase and print off the adorable embellishments from this customizable journal kit, and get the kids to help fill it out. It can be added to from year to year, making it something Mom will look forward to every Mother’s Day.

5. Time Together

This gift is especially appropriate for the mom of grown children (ie your own mom). Chances are, now that you’re grown and out of the house, you don’t spend as much time together as you used to. Giving her the gift of your time is a heartfelt way to show you love her.

It can be as simple as getting together for lunch or as elaborate as a weekend shopping trip. Just like the family portrait session though, be sure to follow through! (I may or may not have given my mom the gift of an afternoon of manicures and lunch last year that we still haven’t done. Mom, if you’re reading this, I haven’t forgotten! When are you free?)

Giving tickets to a specific event is a great way to ensure that you follow through since the date is already set. Plays, concerts, and comedy shows are always popular.

6. Coupon Book

This gift is especially appropriate for the mom of young children. Being a mom can be overwhelming and exhausting and sometimes a girl just needs a break. To get you started, I’m including a few ideas for the coupons, but the sky’s the limit on this one.

An afternoon alone

A massage

A night when someone else makes/buys dinner

Hire someone to come in to clean/cook/nanny/whatever (her choice!)

Any of these funny ideas from Mashable (most appropriate if coming from a teen)

If you don’t want to make your own, there’s a printable one available here that includes a lot of other great Mother’s Day printables too.

Moms, what’s the best Mother’s Day gift you’ve ever received? Tell me in the comments below or join the conversation on my Facebook page.

These are all great ideas. I may just have to check out those family trees. I know my mom and MIL would love those. And I second the tickets to Listen To Your Mother…mostly because I also happen to be a cast member in St. Louis! Congrats to you and good luck with the show!

I love the family tree art. It’s personal, yet also captures the beauty of modern-esque art.

The best Mother’s Day gift I ever received was actually on my second mother’s day. I was at the height of craziness at my corporate job, always torn thinking I needed to work more and mother better. Naturally, I was hard on myself and felt like a bad mom altogether. So, my mother’s gift that year as a website that my husband created with over 15 entries of reasons why I was a great mom. He took photos of my son, then 2, and created random reasons – some sweet and others funny. It was hands down the most thoughtful, relevant and amazing gift I’ve ever received.

Great suggestions! As mother of 3, (now all teens) the most precious Mother’s Day gift I ever received was when my daughter was 5 and she made me a card in Sunday School thanking me for always pushing her on the swing. Simple, yet soooo precious!